I was hanging out at our
Tri-Cities - Atlanta Airport Center earlier this week when I got a call in my personal mobile number from a Prospect who had found us on Google. Yes, we are working to fix
that, but that is not what this story is about.
The Prospect wanted to know whether we could produce and how much we would charge for two name badges for two people, or four name badges total. She described the badges as the type printed on some hard surface with a magnet on the back. She forwarded a mock-up of the badges and a quote from an on-line vendor. Finally, she asked for them by the end of the week.
Bryan, our Client Services Coordinator in that Center, and I engaged in a dialogue about this request. Bryan has extensive experience in the industry and quickly identified a substrate or surface that could serve for the name tag. I ordered some magnets we would attach to the surface. Then we discussed the point of this blog. Bryan challenged me on the rationale for taking on such a small job. He explained that he had worked for sign shops in the past that would have either turned the job down outright or charged a minimum price for the order.
I know shops with such policies out there, I responded, including other shops in our network. However, I believed that no order was too small. As I saw it, whether someone walks in with a $50, $500, or $5,000 request, they deserved our very best welcome and help. Plus, I added, “you never know whether a bigger order awaits behind the smaller one.”
Bryan smiled and went about the day after we sent the quote to the Prospect. She promptly accepted the Estimate. I needed to ask her a question, so I called her. In the midst of our chat, she mentioned she was going to a convention this weekend without business cards. I told her I would be happy to provide her a quote for those and get them to her before her flight. She also asked if we did yard signs (we do). In just a matter of a couple of hours, what was a small order became two with possibilities for more.
I know Bryan has a valid point. Still, I prefer to live in the land of “Your Never Know,” for all its possibilities.